


Starshooter

by zimathan (skyteglad)



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, One Shot, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21590590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyteglad/pseuds/zimathan
Summary: Adult life is tiring, even for alien menaces.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim), ZaDr - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 156





	Starshooter

It had been… a long month. A long year. A long _life_. It was growing more and more tiring each day as the irken would rise to go to work, throw himself into his business, and end each night in sleepless torment watching the stars from his window. Ever present, ever shining, ever taunting. It had been years, years since his world had been shattered - since learning of the _betrayal_ his ‘Tallest’ had bestowed him with. Years since the start of a slow, steady spiral. It went too far, sometimes, leaving Zim empty in his room, empty through the motions, following whatever course necessary to survive, but only just. He’d… gotten over it, by now, surely. But, life on Earth has felt so…

_Meaningless._

It’s felt meaningless to be here, living a mundane, _human_ life. Meaningless to be here, going through the motions like every other pitiful Earthling on this miserable rock. He felt unfulfilled, unengaged, underwhelmed. The worst of these days were spent in bored chaos, doing nothing, feeling nothing, enjoying nothing, _doing_ absolutely _nothing_. The best? Well, the best of those days were spent doing everything, anything, reckless things just to feel some modicum of joy! Did it work? No, but it was at least an attempt. 

The only thing to ever break the cycle of repetitive boredom had been Dib. Stupid, smelly, tryhard Dib. Some days he was too busy with his side job, or his college-thing, or his, peh, ‘life’. Too busy to spend time making things worthwhile for Zim. It wasn’t fair, the irken had long ago decided. Dib had resigned to his pitiful human existence! He’d resigned to the fact that every day would be spent with some boring, underwhelming work, or some mundane… stupid… boring _thing_ he had to do. He seemed so happy with life, even despite all of that! Or, well, he seemed content enough with it. 

But Zim stared out at the stars, every night, wishing to be apart of the cosmos again. He wasn’t homesick - not for Irk. He was… homesick for adventure. For meaning. For purpose. What’s the point of a purposeless irken, right? His purpose was to rot and die on Earth, and it was just… draining. Sad. Pathetic.

Over the years, his forced bravado had been lessening, his brilliant personality - well… loud personality - subduing over the stress and heartbreak of being deemed purposeless. Being deemed useless. Worthless. Nothing.

And, no doubt, Dib had noticed. Through his studies, through his work, through his battles, Dib had still noticed. Sometimes, in the lulls of silence, the human would catch the expression on Zim’s face, and his heart would ache in familiarity. He wanted to help, it was the human within him - the stupid _humanity_ \- that said that no one deserved to feel like that! Even the space alien that had been bent on destroying and taking over the Earth.

Dib didn’t know the cause, always under the impression that Zim was still one of the armada’s top invaders, still under the impression Zim still mattered to his civilization. It never made sense that he was slowly watching the irken fade. That was his rival, the closest thing to a friend he really had, so it just… it sucked! It sucked not knowing how he could help, how he could stop the spiral. He had began to scheme, began some sort of attempt in his head to fix this, to do something to stop the spiral and slow it down as best he could. Through the years, the two really have grown closer. In between battles for the world, they would spend hours at a time hanging out, goofing off, having fun.

Through the end of hi-skool, the two really had grown to _be_ close friends! Of course, that title was silly in comparison to how cool _enemies_ sounded - but they really were just about each other’s best friend. It was the biggest thing fighting against the negativity, the brightest star in this void of hollow depression.

That’s what Zim felt. Depression. Hollow, empty, devastating depression. Naturally, the irken, despite his subdued pride, would _neeeever_ admit that! It was such a _human_ concept, right! An irken? Feeling depressed? That was something only a _defect_ would ever feel. And no matter what effect depression had on him, his denial was everlasting and ever strong.

The closeness the two had had carried through even past hi-skool, a battle usually ending in a movie afterwards, or a fun bundle of jokes and enjoyment. This was the best case scenario for them both, really - it was the only thing keeping each other sane. Sure, sure, they could have a _normal_ friendship at any time, but who wants that when there’s challenge! Excitement? ADVENTURE! No, this was perfect, even as the days spiralled shorter and the nights spun sadder. 

So they continued with it. A fight, a battle, a day where there was no classwork to do and no work shifts to attend. A day spent with adrenaline, rush, the threat of _’who will win! who will be victorious?’_ and a night spent with laughter, a stupid movie, and a friendly goodbye. And as Dib left the weird house, painted in a mishap of color and ugly architecture, he’d stop at the end of the sidewalk and give a thoughtful look back before continuing his walk home. It was a routine that hadn’t yet become boring, but…

Dib didn’t walk away, not today. He stayed at the edge of the sidewalk, staring at the door for a long moment. Moment growing to a couple of moments. Before a distressed sigh ejected from his lips. It was going to be today. His plan had to happen today. 

Mustering up all of his nerve, Dib was deadset on doing the right thing and… helping his enemy. Frenemy? Yeah. Smoothing a hand through his messy hair, the human exhaled through his nose and turned on his heel, walking back up the pathway, ignoring the cautious movements of the gnomes around him. He rose his fist and hesitated, because of course he did. This was Zim, someone who, despite everything, he cared about - someone who, despite everything, he couldn’t handle rejection from. 

_Knk, knk, knk._

There was silence after he knocked, silence after that grew more and more concerning as it past. Come on, it’d only been maybe a minute or two, where was Zim? Whatever, this was stupid. Dib turned and began down the path, again, intent on just going home and pretending this never happeeee - god _dammit_ his compassion stopped him in his tracks. With a groan, he spun again, hands flying in the air as if he were annoyed about caring. Why did he care! He knocked again, this time louder.

_Knk, knk, knk._

Still nothing! What was this, a game? Frustration was getting the best of him - why was it? Why’d he care so much? Maybe it was just the thought of ‘hey, we had just seen each other, and now you’re ignoring me’. As the seconds turned to minutes, Dib grumbled under his breath, before getting fed up and pushing the door opened. Wait, it wasn’t even locked? What the hell? 

The human was startled, confused by the notion that Zim didn’t… lock his door. Had he always done that? No, no, Dib would have gotten in much easier if that were the case - but Dib questioned his own memory for a moment, unsure if this was actually… normal of the irken or not. Surely not, Zim was just so, so paranoid. Taking a step inside the living room, glancing over the badly designed layout, a… gut feeling was forming in, well, his gut.

Something’s not right.

No one… was up here. Not even Gir or Minimoose, both of which normally greeted the human after long battles with copious amounts of loudness and nyah-ing. It had literally been less than ten minutes since Dib had left. Less than like… five, probably. Actually, scratch that, Dib had no concept of time, trying to put a number to how long it had been would be like trying to pin a donkey tail on a cow poster. You’ve got the spirit but you’re still wrong. 

Closing the door behind him, the human scanned the room, convinced that maybe he just… was having a bad eyesight day? Yeah. No, that’s not it, there really were no signs of anyone being up here. He hummed for a second, walking further inside. **”Zim?”** No response, no reason to stop going through the house. Living room: nothing. Kitchen: nothing. Bathroom: nothing. Dining room: nothing. Wait, did Zim really only put like four rooms in the house part of his base? Why had Dib never noticed that, that’s so stupid. Whatever, whatever, off topic.

They had known each other long enough that Dib knew at least some things about the alien’s base: namely, the entrance to his lab. Was it a lab? It was a lab now. Something, something, garbage can. Something, something, bad planning. He was in the lab now. How? Dib wouldn’t explain if he was asked, simply because it’d be admitting he had gone in the trash. Oh well, as the kids said: he belonged in there anyways! 

Now the lab was… large. The ceilings were way too high up to make sense - who was eleven feet tall? No one, that’s who! Wait, were the Tallest that tall? Oh, god, the Tallest were probably that tall. Oh, god, Zim must look like a genuine _ant_ to those guys. Wait, fuck, shit, this is more off topic thinking. Focus, Dib, something isn’t sitting right and thinking about how tall the alien leaders were was a good way to forget why you’re here. _Where the hell is Zim?_

It’d likely take forever to find the irken in here, the space was so vast. It was at the very least _open_ \- not too many places to hide, but that just made it… all the more unlikely that the two were going to reunite in here. Grumbling gently at this weird game of hide and seek they were supposedly playing, Dib called out for Zim’s name once again, drawing it out like a pet owner does their missing dog. After a few seconds, Dib considered this place empty and that there was no point in trying this today, before freezing.

It was distant, but a choked sound came from within the lab. It wasn’t… a happy sound. **”Zim? Is that…”**

And then Dib saw it. Eyes glancing towards the source of the noise, the human saw it, his heart plummeting as realization clicked in his mind’s eye. Zim’s pak.

Years ago, the two had fought over that damn device - and in that time, Dib had learned a lot! He had learned that: a) Being possessed by an alien brain is freaky. 0/10, wouldn’t try again. b) Having holes punched through your chest hurts! A lot! -5/10, definitely would never, _ever_ try again! c) Zim’s pak was literally the alien’s life force. The fact that it was disconnected from his body was pretty damn worrying. d) Uhh… there was no d, but a d felt necessary to try and add on.

Dib ran forward, senses now on alert as he reached the device. Where did Zim go, why was his pak here and not him, did something happen? His questions were answered nearly immediately, as the human’s eyes drifted upon the irken at last.

Damn, Zim was… so tiny. He had always been small, but something about him now seemed devastatingly little. Curled up in a little ball, antennae pinned back and shaking in his place. Was… was he hurt? Ask questions later, dammit, who’s to say how long he’s had this off - Dib didn’t think as he moved forward, adrenaline and panic taking control of him as he grabbed the pak off the ground and rushed towards the alien, connecting the two despite the weak protests he was given. 

Those protests only grew louder and louder as the irken’s life source connected with his shell. More and more… angry. Annoyed. Aggravated. Until finally, Dib was shoved away, falling on his ass as Zim stood up and cursed loudly.

 **”You, why would you - you insolent FOOL, how DARE you touch Zim’s pak! How dare you - you, AGH!“** Zim was being grandiose in his upset, blowing it out of the water, intentionally louder than he needed to be - intentionally _pushing Dib’s buttons_. The human wasn’t the easiest to anger! He wasn’t! No matter what everyone else said! Okay, maybe he was, so this was just… pushing him into aggressive territory quickly.

 **”I was _trying_ to _HELP_ , Zim.”** Dib bristled, indignant and confused as to why in the hell him putting the irken’s pak on earned such venom. Maybe he shouldn’t be hailed as a _hero_ , but some gratitude for saving Zim’s life would be appreciated!

 **”Help? Oh nooooo, that wasn’t help, Dib-shit, help would have been to go home and - why are you in Zim’s _baaaase_?!”** Great, now he was being even more loud. **”You DARE enter Zim’s MIGHTY LAIR, _touch_ Zim’s MIGHTY _PAK_ , and, and, and -”** With a signature growl and flap of his fists, Dib watched in annoyance as the ‘mighty irken invader’ proceeded to throw a hissy fit over…

Wait.

Over… Dib saving his life. Did… Was Zim trying to…

The aggravation fell from his face, the human staring in mild distress up at the irken as the heavy realization hit him. Zim’s depression wasn’t just a small case of the downs, it was… the full blown thing. That… That made everything make much more sense all while crushing his soul. The irken had no idea that he had revealed his plan so unknowingly - hell, he thought he hadn’t revealed it at all, but actions speak louder than words.

Dib sat up, fixing Zim with a concerned, determined look. **”Zim, were you trying to…”** His voice hushed a little, as if the Earthen taboo would strike him down with a fury if he so much as uttered it too loudly. **”Were you trying to kill yourself?”**

That stopped Zim’s tantrum in its tracks, the irken freezing his enraged gesturing and letting his limbs fall to his side, his face falling into something near expressionless. He said nothing and everything, all at once. Dib’s brows furrowed, unable to stop his heartstrings from burning in a mixture of disbelief and mourning. Oh, god. He almost hadn’t come in time. Dib had almost left. Zim had almost…

Smiles and laughter were never meant to be the reaction to such news - it was so inappropriate - but disbelief and anxiety swirled and forced out a distressed, pitiful exhale that sounded more like a ‘ha’ than something comforting. **”Hey, you, shouldn’t do that! That’s, why would… why would you?”** None of that was cohesive, none of it was a steady stream of words, all of it tumbling out in an alarmed attempt at trying to help. **”I - I mean, why… why did, did you try to do that? Did, something happen? Are you okay?”**

Fuck, Dib had never been aware of just how awful he was at this. Now that he was, this was torture.

Zim stayed quiet, folding his arms over his chest, claws digging into his sickly-looking skin. His expression was unreadable to those who didn’t know the irken, but Dib knew him. Dib understood him. More than he’d realized, actually. Quietly getting to his feet, the human’s eyes glued themselves to the ground, sensing that he probably… wasn’t meant to stare at Zim. Not while he was like this. 

They were both silent, one waiting for an answer, and the other waiting to be alone. When neither of their wants came, they both began to fulfill the others’ - Dib speaking up to say goodbye and Zim speaking up to tell him why. It froze them both, their eyes meeting in an awkward way that brought out another anxious laugh from the human. **”Sorry, sorry, you… go first.”**

Zim pursed his lips, averting his large magenta eyes and exhaling through… hm, Dib wanted to say ‘his nose’, but Zim didn’t have one. How the hell did he exhale? What the fuck.

 **”Because, Zim is… tired. Very… very tired.”** As he spoke, his eyes drifted to the floor, the irken rubbing his hand against his own arm in an effort to ground himself. Keep himself steady. **”It’s… it’s stupid. Nevermind, nothing’s wrong, just please go.”**

Dib knew this song and dance too well. The opening line of what was eating you to be followed up with a dismissal, the desperate attempt to push any and all help away, the desire to just… stop it all, because it was easier to not go on than it was to unleash the pent up despair. He wasn’t good at helping, not with words - his only experience in helping others through this was with Gaz, and Gaz was never one to listen to words. She preferred other methods, methods Dib wasn’t entirely sure someone like **Zim** would be receptive to.

But, he had to try something. Maybe not the physical affection he gave to Gaz, but… something. He couldn’t leave Zim alone. **”No, I can’t do that. You can, you can tell me what happened, or why you’re upset. Why are you tired…? Are you tired of fighting? We can stop -”** Zim’s antennae flicked up, desperation breaking the empty facade he had put up as he interrupted with a loud _’no’_!

A little taken aback, the human floundered on his words, before shutting his mouth, staring at Zim with an owlish expression. Oh, no, he messed up. He messed up, that’s the only reason he got that response. Dib flinched, arms wrapping around his chest defensively and his gaze shifting away, as if prepared to be attacked. Instead, nothing happened but Zim staring back at him with fear in his gaze.

 **”Do not - do not stop our battles. Please.”** ‘Please’? **”Zim is not… I’m not tired of those, I just…”** His antennae drooped down, his facade shattered and his expression showing just how devastated he was. Zim looked _exhausted_. He didn’t need to sleep, it wasn’t a necessity, but it looked like the alien had been requiring it for years but never gave himself the chance. 

**”I’m just, I’m just sick of Earth.”** The alien’s voice was quiet, so unlike himself, but still familiar enough in it’s emotion that Dib knew he was still talking to Zim. **”I’m sick of being with humans. I’m sick of… of working, every day. Living, every day. I’m sick of the mundane-ness humans live with! It’s boring, it’s… routinely boring.”**

 **“I can’t escape it, you know? If Zim stops working, people get suspicious. If Zim does anything that’s not… human enough, it’s a big deal! So I have to go with the flow, and do it over, and over, and over, and…”** The irken shrunk, slumping onto the floor and pushing a hand against his head. **”I miss… being an invader.”**

Dib could relate, could understand the immense amount of burnout Zim seemed to be going through. He couldn’t… help, but it was so understandable. The irken was exhausted. Man, another point for how much society and capitalism sucked, huh. But, the human gave a troubled look at the last bit. **”Are, are you not an invader anymore? When’d that happen?”**

Fixing Dib with a cold glare, Zim was quiet. The glare melted after a moment, becoming something akin to heartbreak. Because that’s what he was. He was _heartbroken_. **”My Tallests hate me.”** His voice cracked, the steadiness from before finally shattering around him. **”They’ve… _always_ hated me. DESPISED me! It’s always been a joke, a… an attempt to get rid of me. To get rid of ZIM.”**

He was crying. He was _crying_. Dib tore his gaze away, not wanting to see the tears form in the irken’s eyes, not wanting to witness his oldest _friend’s_ downfall. **”I’ve always been nothing to the armada. The worst part is ZIM KNEW! ZIM ALWAYS KNEW!”**

His other hand flew to his scalp, both claws gnarling against his skin and digging in deep enough to try and draw blood. He wanted to rip himself apart, and, and just not have to deal with this anymore. Zim nearly began again on his rampage of words, yelling and screaming profanities at himself, but before he could start, his hands were yanked away from his skin, snapping his head up.

Dib was there, inches from his face, expression full of a distinct brand of determination, gripping his arms tight and not letting go even when the irken tried to pull them away. **”I - I know you’re hurting, Zim, but don’t do that.”** His voice was firm, and was met with the wide-eyed stare of the alien. The irken’s fists clenched, a scowl forming through the teary stare, and Zim finally ripped his arms away, folding them close to his chest.

**”Why do you _care_?! Why would anyone?”**

There was silence. No response, just the two staring at each other on opposite sides, each just stubborn enough to not let the other one in. But, one of them would _have_ to relent… Dib sighed, sitting in front of Zim and fixing him with that stupid, determined expression.

 **”I care because I care! I don’t need any other reason.”** Yeah, okay, that response totally wasn’t going to piss Zim off. Oh, wait, yes it would, and it did! Dib could see the frustration rise, and quickly interjected before he got an enraged earfull. **”Fine! Fine, okay, I care because… I don’t know! I guess I like having you around or something.”**

That didn’t exactly… quell the upset within the irken. It lessened his rising frustration, but it wasn’t much to lessen the overwhelming emotions. Frustration turned to indignation turned to a pitiful kind of acceptance where he just… accepted this shitty answer. Zim gave a gruff noise in response, sitting in place and wrapping his arms around himself. Locking his doors and closing off from the human.

Great. 

Dib groaned softly, putting his hands to his face and trying hard to focus enough on being good at words to… form… good… words. Was that something he was capable of? No. Was it something he was going to have to fudge? Yeah. Was he going to fudge it? God, he hoped he bullshitted it in a way that did more harm than good. Wait, no, more good than harm. Why were sayings like that, goddamn. 

The human exhaled gently, removing his hands to study the irken for a moment. Through the years, Dib has studied Zim quite a lot. It was his job to, as a paranormal expert, afterall! He had to know as much as possible about his foe: weaknesses, strengths, what he liked, what he hated, the way he did certain things. Dib had countless notes on Zim, ranging from very scientific explanations and hypotheses on how Zim’s antennae functioned to mundane facts about how the alien was when he was excited. In truth, it was something comforting now - studying Zim. 

Now when he studied the alien, though, he didn’t see what he usually saw. He didn’t see the confidence, the pride, the megalomaniac grin on his stupid little bug face. Dib didn’t see the amusement or the joy they shared while watching stupid movies or telling stupid jokes. He didn’t see the anger or annoyance of being bested, or the way he quickly turned that frustration into a bullshit win. All he saw was just… a broken shell. Crushed, hurt, vulnerable.

In all these years, he has only ever seen Zim vulnerable once, maybe twice. It was never easy. This was never easy. And Dib’s heart went out to him - because he understood! He understood being hated, being despised, being seen as a joke. He understood being an outcast from his own kind, and being an outcast in the eyes of someone he severely looked up to. Looking idly down at his own arms, Dib even understood the desire to be dead and gone due to all of that. 

It wasn’t just that Zim was tired. It was that he was defeated, utterly and truly defeated. He couldn’t bounce back anymore, not from this. It was just the end of the line, the final straw, his final hoorah until he vanished for good. Zim needed more than just a half-hearted ‘I care’. What did ‘I care about you’ even really mean? It was so… empty. Empty words that didn’t hold any real meaning, not when they’re just _said_. So, the human took in a deep breath, and did the part of showing.

 **”I… like you, Zim. You’re one of my best friends, believe it or not, and I…”** Dib hesitated, swallowing his pride. This was harder than it should be, and he cursed himself for that. **”I need you.”** Those words finally broke a little through the irken’s wall, chipping it away just enough to get his antennae to perk and his gaze to settle on his companion.

 **”You’ve always been there, y’know? You’ve always been around and - I know this is going to sound super annoying but… you being around is what’s been keeping _me_ around.”** In order to really break through, he’d have to talk about his own grief, right? That sounded wrong, but it was the only way to make sure they related. Dib just hoped it helped instead of hurt.

Fiddling with his fingers, the human avoided eye contact, not wanting to acknowledge that he was opening up and being equally vulnerable around his sworn nemesis-slash-friend. **”My… ‘Tallest’ hates me, too. He’s always hated me, and everyone’s known that. _I’ve_ known that. It makes things… hard. But - _but_ , you have always helped.”**

Zim’s antennae flicked forward, his shattered expression turned curious as he tilted his head, waiting for an explanation. Dib clenched and unclenched his fists, anxiously trying to rid some of this energy so he could be better at this ‘talking’ thing. **”You’re strong, and really cool, and you’re always the… brightest damn person around. This might be stupid to say, but you walk into a room and it lights up! You have such an energy, so confident and, and, fun! You’re _fun_ , Zim!”**

His own embarrassment was slowly starting to creep up. Reel it back a little. **”I just, seeing you, being around you, getting to hangout with you and be… ‘friends’ has just been the only thing keeping me from ki- hurting myself. I care because I need you.”**

The alien was quiet for a long few moments, unsure of what to say or feel. Dib was worried he had made the whole thing about him, worried he ruined it and now Zim was going to shut him out for good and just try again later. Fuck, he was so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid -

Zim stood up. Still without a word, and the human flinched, heart dropping. The irken’s eyes were on the floor, studying the tiles as if they held any script for him to say, but they didn’t. After another excruciating few seconds, Zim offered Dib his hand, lifting his gaze and giving a sad smile. **”Zim… wants to show you something.”**

Hm… suspicious! There was no reason for suspicions, but this was Zim… what did he want to show, and why _now_? This was probably going to be some weird… pact thing, wasn’t it. No, no, Dib had to relax and show some modicum of trust - Zim hadn’t killed him yet, he likely wouldn’t now. Taking the irken’s hand, Dib got to his feet and fixed him with a curious stare, following along as the alien brought him through the lab, through the base, and eventually to his voot runner.

The whole time the alien said nothing - Dib was so concerned about this. Zim never shut up! That’s one of the key traits of Zim, never-shutting-upiness! It made sense, he guessed, that the irken would be silent right now. He wasn’t feeling like himself, and his core personality traits had been dwindling through the months. Maybe he just… didn’t want to put up a front anymore. This still settled a deep unease within the human, even as they both climbed into the cruiser.

A million possibilities shot through Dib’s mind’s eye. Methods for Zim to take his own life, methods for Zim to take both of their lives, methods for Zim to just murder Dib for daring to speak up and be vulnerable. It was irrational, surely, but god was it prevalent. Dib questioned Zim’s sanity, just for the moment - was he even decent enough to drive right now? Was this an impulse that was going to end bloody? Dammit, Membrane, have some faith!

It wasn’t a long flight, in the grand scheme of things. All Zim did was… drive up. And up. And up. And Dib looked out the window in mild horror at the height of it all. And then that horror became fascination and wonder as he saw the city become nothing but ants, then nothing but clouds, and then the atmosphere around them changing and swirling and then… space.

Dib was in _space_.

The human’s paranoia shifted drastically into something akin to a child in a candy shop. It was _space_. This wasn’t the first time, but that didn’t make it any less amazing and wonderful and cool and - and -

Turning to Zim, Dib noticed a faraway look in the irken’s fuschia eyes. His expression still read as sad, but more of a… bittersweet sad. Melancholic, maybe? Maybe something softer, even. The human couldn’t help but study his companion again, even around the wonder of the universe. It wasn’t until Zim turned to him that he stopped, averting his eyes quickly in favor of looking at the stars and the void. 

**”I can, uh, see why you miss it up here.”** Dib quickly interjected, embarrassed that he had gotten caught and hoping some speaking would break the static. Zim stared back, bringing his knees up to his chest and giving a solemn nod. **”It makes you feel like you’re… more, right?”**

Zim gave a sad smile and looked to the cosmos, finally breaking his own vow of silence. **”It reminds me of where I came from. Zim isn’t homesick for Irk, invaders only stay there for a small portion of their life, but I came from space. I’m meant to go from planet to planet to fulfill my purpose, I’m not meant to be… stagnant.”** Lowering his chin to his knees, he watched a distant asteroid shoot through the void. **”If I’m not an invader, though, I don’t have that same purpose. I just… have a human’s purpose, which _is_ to remain stagnant.”**

Dib opened his mouth, ready to dispute that, before he realized how true that statement was. Humans weren’t meant to be _stagnant_ , per say, but how society was… it could very easily seem like that. Most people _had_ to have a job that required a routine that drained you. In America, at least, it was just… terrible. If you found a job you loved, then hooray, but even then burnout happened. It was a repetition that got tiring fast and ended up hurting so many people, and that wasn’t… something Zim seemed to be meant for. He was meant for more. Meant for something else.

Just like Dib.

Jeez, the two really did share so much in common. It was almost sickening. 

Running a hand through his hair, Dib looked out of the window back down towards Earth. **”You know, I’m… not an irken, so I don’t know the nuances of your civilization or whatever, but… just because you’re not an invader, doesn’t mean you have to stay here on Earth.”**

**”Zim does have to stay on Earth, though.”**

Why? Exile? That was likely the case, thinking about brief discussions they had had in the past. If the armada truly did hate Zim, this was probably just… where he’d been banished to. Which, kind of put a damper on Dib’s purpose, actually. If their fight over Earth wasn’t real, then there really wasn’t a threat, and… what did that mean for Dib? Frowning, the hand slid from his hair to the back of his neck, rubbing uncomfortably. **”Right. You must have been exiled here or something, right?”**

The irken shook his head, looking back towards his oldest rival, and his saddened eyes met Dib’s own. **”No, I could leave to be exiled wherever I want, so long as I’m nowhere near Irken territory.”** Shrugging, Zim looked towards the Earth, an uncharacteristically soft smile spreading. Weird? Dib looked to the Earth as well, hoping to see whatever was causing that.

**”Zim can’t leave Earth because that’d be leaving you.”**


End file.
